CN106571379B

CN106571379B - Organic EL device, method for manufacturing organic EL device, and electronic apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN106571379B
Application number: CN201610570713.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 花村雄基; 白鸟幸也; 腰原健
Original assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Current assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Priority date: 2015-10-07
Filing date: 2016-07-19
Publication date: 2023-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 2036-07-19
Also published as: JP6696143B2; US10269882B2; US20170104045A1; TWI730991B; TW201724603A; CN106571379A; JP2017073268A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic EL device, a method of manufacturing the organic EL device, and an electronic apparatus. The organic EL device includes: a first substrate; a first organic EL element and a second organic EL element provided on the first substrate; a sealing layer covering the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element; and a color filter disposed on the sealing layer. The color filter includes a colored layer overlapping the first organic EL element in a plan view, and a resin layer overlapping the second organic EL element in a plan view.

Description

Organic EL device, method for manufacturing organic EL device, and electronic apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an organic EL device including an organic Electroluminescence (EL) element, a method of manufacturing the organic EL device, and an electronic apparatus including the organic EL device.

Background

Since an organic EL element as a Light Emitting element can be reduced in size and thickness as compared with an LED (Light Emitting Diode), it is attracting attention to be applied to a micro display such as a Head Mounted Display (HMD) and an electronic view display (EVF).

As a method of realizing color display in such a microdisplay, a structure in which an organic EL element that allows white light emission is combined with a color filter is considered. Since excellent display quality can be achieved by causing light emitted from the organic EL element to enter a predetermined colored layer in the color filter, it is proposed to dispose the colored layer at a position closer to the organic EL element.

For example, patent documents 1 to 3 show examples in which colored layers of at least 3 colors (red, green, and blue) are disposed on a gas barrier layer, a protective layer, or a sealing layer covering a plurality of organic EL elements so as to correspond to the arrangement of the organic EL elements. In addition, examples in which the black matrix layer is disposed between the color layers, or the light-transmissive or light-blocking convex portion is disposed are shown.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-66216

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2012-38677

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-89804

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the organic EL devices of patent documents 1 to 3, since white light emitted from the organic EL element is transmitted through the colored layer and emitted, there is a technical problem that it is difficult to achieve desired luminance in color light converted by the colored layer. For example, if the amount of current in the organic EL element is increased in order to increase the luminance of white light emission in order to ensure the luminance of colored light, the power consumption of the organic EL device increases, and the light emission life of the organic EL element becomes short.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be implemented as the following modes or application examples.

An organic EL device according to the present application example includes: a first substrate; a first organic EL element and a second organic EL element provided on the first substrate; a sealing layer covering the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element; and a color filter provided on the sealing layer, the color filter including a colored layer overlapping the first organic EL element in a plan view and a transparent layer overlapping the second organic EL element in a plan view.

According to the present application example, the luminance of the light emitted from the second organic EL element is less likely to be reduced than the light emitted from the first organic EL element through the sealing layer and the coloring layer. That is, compared with the case where the second organic EL element has a plurality of colored layers stacked in a plan view, it is possible to provide an organic EL device which can realize desired luminance without increasing power consumption and shortening the light emission life of the organic EL element.

In the organic EL device according to the application example, the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element are preferably disposed adjacent to each other in one direction on the first substrate, and the transparent layer is preferably provided in contact with the colored layer between the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element in the one direction.

With this configuration, the position of the colored layer on the sealing layer can be accurately positioned with respect to the transparent layer. Therefore, light emitted from the first organic EL element can be extracted by reliably transmitting the colored layer. Therefore, an organic EL device having excellent display quality can be provided.

In the organic EL device according to the application example, it is preferable that the organic EL device includes: a first driving transistor provided on the first substrate and connected to the first organic EL element via a first contact portion; and a second drive transistor connected to the second organic EL element through a second contact portion, the second drive transistor being provided so as to overlap with the first contact portion and the second contact portion when the color layer is viewed from above.

The first contact portion and the second contact portion may have irregularities compared with other portions of the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element. If the emitted light is scattered at the portion where the unevenness is generated, there is a possibility that the optical characteristics are degraded. According to this configuration, since the colored layer is provided so as to overlap the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a plan view, at least a part of the unnecessary light emission scattered by the concave-convex portion can be absorbed by the colored layer, and a decrease in optical characteristics can be suppressed.

In the organic EL device according to the application example, a main component of the color layer and the transparent layer is a light-transmitting photosensitive resin.

According to this configuration, since the colored layer and the transparent layer can be formed by photolithography, the colored layer and the transparent layer can be disposed on the sealing layer with high positional accuracy.

In the organic EL device according to the above application example, preferably, the photosensitive resin is a photosensitive acrylic resin.

With this structure, a transparent layer having excellent light transmittance can be formed.

In the organic EL device according to the application example, each of the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element includes a pixel electrode having light transmittance, a counter electrode having both light transmittance and reflectivity, and a light-emitting functional layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode, the organic EL device includes a reflective layer provided between a substrate main body of the first substrate and the pixel electrode, and optical distances from the reflective layer to the counter electrode are different in the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element.

With this configuration, light emission having different resonance wavelengths is obtained from the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element. Since light emitted from the first organic EL element is transmitted through the colored layer, the color purity is further improved. Further, light emitted from the second organic EL element is transmitted through the transparent layer, and light having a color purity based on the resonance wavelength can be extracted. That is, a color display with good appearance can be performed.

In the organic EL device according to the application example, it is preferable that the second substrate has a light-transmitting property and is disposed on the color filter with a filler interposed therebetween.

According to this configuration, since the second substrate is provided in addition to the sealing layer, it is possible to provide an organic EL device which can suppress the penetration of moisture, oxygen, or the like from the outside into the organic EL element, can obtain stable light emission, and has a long light emission life.

In the organic EL device according to the above application example, a light-emitting area of the second organic EL element is smaller than a light-emitting area of the first organic EL element.

According to this configuration, since light emission from the second organic EL element is extracted through the transparent layer, desired luminance can be obtained even if the light emission area of the second organic EL element is made smaller than that of the first organic EL element.

In the organic EL device according to the application example, the light-emitting area of the second organic EL element may be larger than the light-emitting area of the first organic EL element.

According to this structure, the luminance of light emitted from the organic EL element depends on the light emitting area. That is, if the light-emitting area of the second organic EL element is increased, light having the same degree of brightness as the first organic EL element can be extracted from the second organic EL element with a smaller amount of current than the amount of current flowing through the first organic EL element.

As described above, by adjusting the light-emitting area of the second organic EL element, which emits light through the transparent layer, with respect to the light-emitting area of the first organic EL element, which emits light through the colored layer, it is possible to adjust the luminance between the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element and to adjust the power consumption, and it is possible to realize an organic EL device having excellent optical characteristics including the light-emitting life.

[ application example ] A method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the application example, comprising: a step of forming a first organic EL element and a second organic EL element on a first substrate; forming a sealing layer covering the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element; and a color filter forming step of forming a colored layer on the sealing layer at a position overlapping the first organic EL element in a plan view, and forming a transparent layer on the sealing layer at a position overlapping the second organic EL element in a plan view.

According to this application example, an organic EL device is manufactured in which light emission from the first organic EL element is emitted through the sealing layer and the coloring layer, and light emission from the second organic EL element is emitted through the sealing layer and the transparent layer.

Therefore, the luminance is less likely to be reduced by light emission from the second organic EL element than the first organic EL element. That is, as compared with the case where a colored layer is formed so as to overlap the second organic EL element in a plan view, an organic EL device capable of realizing desired luminance can be manufactured without increasing power consumption or shortening the light emission life of the organic EL element.

In the method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the application example, the color layer is formed by forming a photosensitive resin layer containing a color material and exposing and developing the photosensitive resin layer, and the transparent layer is formed by forming a photosensitive resin layer containing no color material and exposing and developing the photosensitive resin layer.

According to this method, since the colored layer and the transparent layer can be formed by photolithography, the colored layer and the transparent layer can be formed on the sealing layer with high positional accuracy.

In the method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the application example, it is preferable that the color filter forming step includes forming the transparent layer and then forming the colored layer.

According to this method, when the colored layer and the transparent layer are formed by photolithography, the transparent layer can easily achieve high positional accuracy. Therefore, by forming the transparent layer first, the colored layer can be formed with high positional accuracy with respect to the transparent layer.

In the method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the application example, it is preferable that the method includes: forming a first driving transistor and a second driving transistor on the first substrate; forming an interlayer insulating film covering the first driving transistor and the second driving transistor; and a step of forming a first contact portion for connecting the first driving transistor and the first organic EL element and a second contact portion for connecting the second driving transistor and the second organic EL element on the interlayer insulating film, wherein in the color filter forming step, the colored layer is formed so as to overlap with the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a plan view.

The first contact portion and the second contact portion may have irregularities compared with other portions of the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element. If the emitted light is scattered at the portion where the unevenness is generated, there is a possibility that the optical characteristics are degraded. According to this method, since the first contact portion and the second contact portion are formed so as to overlap with each other when the colored layer is viewed from above, at least a part of the unwanted light emission scattered at the uneven portion can be absorbed by the colored layer, and a decrease in optical characteristics can be suppressed.

In the method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the application example, each of the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element includes a pixel electrode having light transmittance, a counter electrode having both light transmittance and reflectivity, and a light-emitting functional layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode, and the method of manufacturing an organic EL device includes: forming a reflective layer between the pixel electrode and a substrate main body of the first substrate; and forming a light-transmitting layer between the reflective layer and the pixel electrode, wherein at least one of the pixel electrode and the light-transmitting layer is formed so as to have different optical distances from the reflective layer to the counter electrode, in the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element, by adjusting the film thickness.

According to this method, a light resonance structure is formed in correspondence with each of the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element, and light emission having resonance wavelengths different from each other is obtained from the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element. Since light emitted from the first organic EL element is transmitted through the colored layer, the color purity is further improved. Further, light emitted from the second organic EL element is transmitted through the transparent layer, and light having a color purity based on the resonance wavelength can be extracted. That is, an organic EL device capable of color display with good appearance can be manufactured.

In the method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the application example, it is preferable that the method includes: a step of applying a filler so as to cover the colored layer and the transparent layer; and a step of bonding a light-transmitting second substrate to the first substrate via the filler.

According to this method, since the second substrate is bonded to the first substrate in addition to the sealing layer via the filler, penetration of moisture, oxygen, or the like from the outside into the organic EL element is suppressed, and an organic EL device which can obtain stable light emission and has a long light emission life can be manufactured.

An electronic device according to the present application example includes the organic EL device described in the above application example.

According to the present application example, since the organic EL device having excellent optical characteristics is provided, an electronic apparatus having high display quality can be provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the structure of an organic EL device according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing an electrical configuration of the organic EL device.

Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the organic EL element and the color filter in the sub-pixel of the organic EL device.

Fig. 4 isbase:Sub>A schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure ofbase:Sub>A sub-pixel along the linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A' of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a contact portion of a pixel electrode of a sub-pixel along the line B-B' of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the organic EL device taken along line H-H' of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the element substrate at the boundary between adjacent sub-pixels.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the element substrate at the boundary between adjacent sub-pixels.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the pixel electrode and the color filter in the organic EL device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a sub-pixel along the line C-C' of fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of the contact portion of the pixel electrode along the line D-D' of fig. 17.

Fig. 20 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of pixel electrodes and color filters in the organic EL device according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a sub-pixel along the line F-F' in fig. 20.

Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of a head mounted display as an example of an electronic apparatus.

Fig. 23 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of sub-pixels in an organic EL device according to a modification.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings used are appropriately enlarged or reduced in size so that the portions to be described can be recognized.

(first embodiment)

< organic EL device >

First, an organic EL device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of an organic EL device according to a first embodiment, fig. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing an electrical configuration of the organic EL device, and fig. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an arrangement of an organic EL element and a color filter in a sub-pixel of the organic EL device. Fig. 4 isbase:Sub>A schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure ofbase:Sub>A sub-pixel along the linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A 'in fig. 3, and fig. 5 isbase:Sub>A schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure ofbase:Sub>A contact portion ofbase:Sub>A pixel electrode in the sub-pixel along the line B-B' in fig. 3.

The organic EL device 100 according to the present embodiment is a self-emission type microdisplay that is preferable in a display unit of a head-mounted display (HMD) described later.

As shown in fig. 1, the organic EL device 100 of the present embodiment includes an element substrate 10 and a protective substrate 40. The substrates are arranged to face each other and bonded to each other with a filler 42 (see fig. 4) interposed therebetween.

The element substrate 10 is an example of the "first substrate" in the present invention. The protective substrate 40 is an example of the "second substrate" in the present invention.

The element substrate 10 includes a display region E in which sub-pixels 18B for emitting blue (B) light, sub-pixels 18G for emitting green (G) light, and sub-pixels 18R for emitting red (R) light are arranged. In the organic EL device 100, the pixel 19 including the sub-pixel 18B, the sub-pixel 18G, and the sub-pixel 18R is a display unit, and provides full-color display.

In the following description, the sub-pixel 18B, the sub-pixel 18G, and the sub-pixel 18R may be collectively referred to as a sub-pixel 18.

The element substrate 10 is larger than the protective substrate 40, and a plurality of external connection terminals 103 are arranged along a first side of the element substrate 10 protruding from the protective substrate 40. A data line driving circuit 15 is provided between the plurality of external connection terminals 103 and the display region E. The scanning line driving circuit 16 is provided between the display region E and the other second and third sides orthogonal to the first side and facing each other.

The protective substrate 40 is arranged smaller than the element substrate 10, and the external connection terminal 103 is exposed. The protective substrate 40 is a light-transmitting substrate, and for example, a quartz substrate, a glass substrate, or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, the protective substrate 40 preferably has a transmittance of 80% or more, more preferably 90% or more, of light in the visible light wavelength range. The protective substrate 40 has a function of protecting the organic EL element 30 (see fig. 2) disposed in the sub-pixel 18 in the display region E so as not to be damaged, and is disposed so as to face at least the display region E. The organic EL device 100 of the present embodiment adopts a top emission type in which light emitted from the sub-pixels 18 is extracted from the protective substrate 40 side.

Hereinafter, a direction along the first side in which the external connection terminals 103 are arranged is referred to as an X direction, and a direction along the other 2 sides (second side, third side) orthogonal to the first side and facing each other is referred to as a Y direction. The direction from the element substrate 10 to the protective substrate 40 is defined as the Z direction. The behavior viewed from the protective substrate 40 side along the Z direction is referred to as "plan view". The X direction corresponds to "one direction" in the present invention.

In the present embodiment, in the display region E, a so-called stripe-type arrangement of the sub-pixels 18 is adopted in which the sub-pixels 18 that obtain light emission of the same color are arranged in the column direction (Y direction) and the sub-pixels 18 that obtain light emission of different colors are arranged in the row direction (X direction). The organic EL element 30 and the color filter 36 are disposed in the sub-pixel 18 (see fig. 3 or 4). The detailed structure of the organic EL element 30 and the color filter 36 will be described later. In addition, in fig. 1, although the arrangement of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, 18R in the display region E is shown, the arrangement of the sub-pixels 18 in the row direction (X direction) is not limited to the order of B, G, R. For example, G, B, R may be used. The arrangement of the sub-pixels 18 is not limited to the stripe system, and may be a triangular system, a bayer system, or an S-stripe system, and the shape and size of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R are not limited to the same.

[ Electrical constitution of organic EL device ]

As shown in fig. 2, the organic EL device 100 includes scanning lines 12, data lines 13, and power lines 14 that intersect each other. The scanning lines 12 are electrically connected to a scanning line driving circuit 16, and the data lines 13 are electrically connected to a data line driving circuit 15. In addition, the sub-pixels 18 are provided in regions partitioned by the scanning lines 12 and the data lines 13.

The sub-pixel 18 has an organic EL element 30, and a pixel circuit 20 that controls driving of the organic EL element 30. Hereinafter, the organic EL element 30 disposed in the sub-pixel 18B is referred to as an organic EL element 30B, the organic EL element 30 disposed in the sub-pixel 18G is referred to as an organic EL element 30G, and the organic EL element 30 disposed in the sub-pixel 18R is referred to as an organic EL element 30R.

The organic EL element 30 includes a pixel electrode 31, a light-emitting functional layer 32, and a counter electrode 33. The pixel electrode 31 functions as an anode for injecting holes into the light-emitting functional layer 32. The counter electrode 33 functions as a cathode for injecting electrons into the light-emitting functional layer 32. In the light-emitting functional layer 32, excitons (exiton; a state in which holes and electrons are bound to each other by coulomb force) are formed by the injected holes and electrons, and when the excitons (exiton) are extinguished (when the holes and electrons are recombined), a part of energy is emitted as fluorescence or phosphorescence. In the present embodiment, the light-emitting functional layer 32 is configured to obtain white light emission from the light-emitting functional layer 32.

The organic EL element 30B disposed in the sub-pixel 18B is an example of the "second organic EL element" of the present invention, and the organic EL element 30G disposed in the sub-pixel 18G or the organic EL element 30R disposed in the sub-pixel 18R is an example of the "first organic EL element" of the present invention.

The pixel circuit 20 includes a switching transistor 21, a storage capacitor 22, and a driving transistor 23. The 2

transistors

21 and 23 can be formed using, for example, n-channel or p-channel transistors.

The gate of the switching transistor 21 is electrically connected to the scanning line 12. The source of the switching transistor 21 is electrically connected to the data line 13. The drain of the switching transistor 21 is electrically connected to the gate of the driving transistor 23.

The drain of the driving transistor 23 is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 31 of the organic EL element 30. The source of the driving transistor 23 is electrically connected to the power supply line 14. A storage capacitor 22 is electrically connected between the gate of the driving transistor 23 and the power supply line 14.

When the scanning lines 12 are driven by the control signal supplied from the scanning line driving circuit 16 to turn ON (ON) the switching transistor 21, a potential based ON the image signal supplied from the data lines 13 is held in the storage capacitor 22 via the switching transistor 21. The ON/OFF (ON/OFF) state of the driving transistor 23 is determined based ON the potential of the storage capacitor 22, that is, the gate potential of the driving transistor 23. When the driving transistor 23 is turned ON (ON), a current corresponding to the gate potential flows from the power supply line 14 to the organic EL element 30 through the driving transistor 23. The organic EL element 30 emits light at a luminance corresponding to the amount of current flowing through the light-emitting function layer 32. The pixel circuit 20 is not limited to the configuration having 2

transistors

21 and 23, and may further include a transistor for controlling a current flowing through the organic EL element 30, for example.

[ arrangement of Pixel electrode and color Filter ]

Next, the arrangement of the pixel electrode 31 and the color filter 36 of the organic EL element 30 in the sub-pixel 18 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 3, the pixel electrodes 31 of the organic EL element 30 are arranged in each of the plurality of sub-pixels 18 arranged in a matrix in the X direction and the Y direction. Specifically, the pixel electrode 31B, the pixel electrode 31G, and the pixel electrode 31R are arranged in the X direction, and among them, the pixel electrode 31B of the organic EL element 30B is arranged in the sub-pixel 18B, the pixel electrode 31G of the organic EL element 30G is arranged in the sub-pixel 18G, and the pixel electrode 31R of the organic EL element 30R is arranged in the sub-pixel 18R. Each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R is rectangular in plan view, and the longitudinal direction thereof is arranged along the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R have the same length in the Y direction. The length of the pixel electrode 31B in the X direction is shorter than the lengths of the

other pixel electrodes

31G and 31R in the X direction.

A contact portion for electrically connecting the pixel electrode 31 and the driving transistor 23 is provided on one end side (upper end side in fig. 3) of each pixel electrode 31 in the Y direction. Specifically, the pixel electrode 31B is provided with a contact 31CB, the pixel electrode 31G is provided with a contact 31CG, and the pixel electrode 31R is provided with a contact 31CR.

Each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R is covered with the insulating film 28 and insulated from each other. Specifically, the insulating film 28 is provided so as to cover the peripheral edge portions of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R, including the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, and 31CR. Thus, in each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R, the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R except for the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, and 31CR are formed with rectangular openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR in a plan view. The shape of the openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR is not limited to a rectangle, and may be, for example, a racetrack shape with a short side having an arc shape.

In the present embodiment, the Y-direction lengths of the openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR are the same, but the X-direction length of the opening 28KB is shorter than the X-direction lengths of the other openings 28KG and 28KR. In each of the openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR, the portion of the

pixel electrode

31B, 31G, and 31R in contact with the light-emitting functional layer 32 is a basic light-emitting region (light-emitting area) in design. That is, the light emitting area in the sub-pixel 18B is smaller than the light emitting areas of the other sub-pixels 18G, 18R.

The color filters 36 arranged in the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R include a colored layer 36G of green (G), a colored layer 36R of red (R), and

transparent layers

36K and 36T that are colorless and transparent. Specifically, the transparent layer 36T, the colored layer 36G, and the colored layer 36R are arranged in the Y direction, and among them, the transparent layer 36T is disposed in the plurality of sub-pixels 18B, the colored layer 36G is disposed in the plurality of sub-pixels 18G, and the colored layer 36R is disposed in the plurality of sub-pixels 18R. That is, the transparent layer 36T is arranged in a stripe shape extending in the Y direction so as to overlap the pixel electrodes 31B (opening 28 KB) arranged in the Y direction. The color layer 36G is arranged in a stripe shape extending in the Y direction so as to overlap the pixel electrodes 31G (openings 28 KG) arranged in the Y direction. Similarly, the colored layers 36R are arranged in a stripe shape extending in the Y direction so as to overlap the pixel electrodes 31R (openings 28 KR) arranged in the Y direction.

The transparent layer 36T is disposed so as to overlap the colored layer 36G at the boundary between the sub-pixel 18B and the sub-pixel 18G adjacent to each other in the X direction. The transparent layer 36K is disposed so as to extend in the Y direction at the boundary between the sub-pixel 18G and the sub-pixel 18R adjacent to each other in the X direction. The transparent layer 36K has a smaller width in the X direction than the transparent layer 36T, and the transparent layer 36K is disposed between the opening 28KG and the opening 28KR along a boundary (indicated by a broken line in fig. 3) between the sub-pixel 18G and the sub-pixel 18R. Between the openings 28KG and 28KR adjacent to each other in the X direction, the colored layer 36G and the colored layer 36R are disposed so as to overlap the transparent layer 36K. The transparent layer 36K may be disposed at the boundary (including a part or the whole of the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR in a plan view) of the same-color sub-pixels 18 adjacent to each other in the Y direction, so that the transparent layer 36K and the transparent layer 36T may be formed in a lattice shape as an integral structure in a plan view.

[ Structure of sub-pixel ]

Next, the structure of the sub-pixel 18 in the organic EL device 100 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

As shown in fig. 4, the organic EL device 100 includes an element substrate 10 and a protective substrate 40 disposed to face each other with a filler 42 interposed therebetween. The filler 42 has a function of bonding the element substrate 10 and the protective substrate 40, and is made of, for example, an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, or the like having light transmittance.

The element substrate 10 includes a substrate body 11, a reflective layer 25, a light-transmitting layer 26, an organic EL element 30, a sealing layer 34, and a color filter 36, which are sequentially stacked in the Z direction on the substrate body 11.

The substrate main body 11 is a semiconductor substrate such as silicon, for example, and the scanning lines 12, the data lines 13, the power supply lines 14, the data line driving circuit 15, the scanning line driving circuit 16, the pixel circuits 20 (the switching transistors 21, the storage capacitors 22, and the driving transistors 23), and the like (see fig. 2) are formed on the substrate main body 11 by a known technique. In fig. 4, the wiring and the circuit configuration are not shown.

The substrate body 11 is not limited to a semiconductor substrate such as silicon, and may be a substrate such as quartz or glass. In other words, the transistors constituting the pixel circuit 20 may be MOS transistors having an active layer on a semiconductor substrate, or may be thin film transistors or field effect transistors formed on a substrate of quartz, glass, or the like.

The reflective layer 25 is a device that is disposed across the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R and reflects light emitted from the

organic EL elements

30B, 30G, and 30R of the respective sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R. As a material for forming the reflective layer 25, for example, aluminum, silver, or the like which can achieve high reflectance is preferably used. The reflectance of light in the visible wavelength range of the reflective layer 25 is preferably at least 40% or more, more preferably 80% or more.

An organic EL element 30 is provided on the reflective layer 25. The organic EL element 30 includes a pixel electrode 31, a light-emitting functional layer 32, and a counter electrode 33, which are sequentially stacked in the Z direction. The pixel electrode 31 is formed of a transparent conductive film such as an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film, and is formed in an island shape for each sub-pixel 18. In the present embodiment, the transmittance of light in the visible light wavelength range of the pixel electrode 31 is preferably 50% or more, and more preferably 80% or more.

The insulating film 28 is disposed so as to cover the peripheral edge portions of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R. As described above, the insulating film 28 has the opening 28KB in the pixel electrode 31B, the opening 28KG in the pixel electrode 31G, and the opening 28KR in the pixel electrode 31R. Such an insulating film 28 is formed of, for example, silicon oxide.

The light-emitting functional layer 32 is disposed so as to cover the entire display region E across the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R. The light-emitting functional layer 32 includes, for example, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an organic light-emitting layer, and an electron transport layer, which are sequentially stacked in the Z direction. The organic light emitting layer emits light in a wavelength range from blue to red. The organic light-emitting layer may be formed of a single layer, or may be formed of a plurality of layers including, for example, a blue light-emitting layer, a green light-emitting layer, and a red light-emitting layer, or a yellow light-emitting layer including a blue light-emitting layer and capable of emitting light in wavelength ranges of red (R) and green (G) D.

The counter electrode 33 is disposed so as to cover the light-emitting functional layer 32. The counter electrode 33 is made of, for example, an alloy of silver or the like so as to have light transmittance and light reflectance. The transmittance of light of the counter electrode 33 in the visible light wavelength range is preferably 20% or more, more preferably 30% or more. The light reflectance of the counter electrode 33 is preferably 20% or more, and more preferably 50% or more.

The sealing layer 34 covering the counter electrode 33 is composed of a first sealing layer 34a, a planarizing layer 34b, and a second sealing layer 34c stacked in this order in the Z direction.

The first sealing layer 34a and the second sealing layer 34c are formed of, for example, silicon oxynitride formed by a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method or the like, and have high barrier properties against moisture and oxygen.

The planarizing layer 34b is made of, for example, an epoxy resin or a coating-type inorganic material (e.g., a silicate). The planarizing layer 34b covers defects (pinholes, cracks), foreign matter, and the like at the time of film formation of the first sealing layer 34a, and forms a flat surface.

The gas barrier property of the sealing layer 34 is not particularly limited as long as it can protect the organic EL element 30 from oxygen, moisture, and the like in the atmosphere, but the oxygen permeability is preferably 0.01cc/m ² And/day is lower. Further, the water vapor permeability is preferably 7X 10 ^-3 g/m ² A value of less than or equal to/day, more preferably 5X 10 ^-6 g/m ² And/day is lower. The transmittance of the sealing layer 34 with respect to light emitted from the counter electrode 33 is preferably 80% or more. The sealing layer 34 covers the organic EL element 30 and is provided on substantially the entire surface of the element substrate 10. The sealing layer 34 is provided with an opening (not shown) for exposing the external connection terminal 103 (see fig. 1).

A light-transmitting layer 26 is provided on the substrate body 11 between the reflective layer 25 and the pixel electrode 31 of the organic EL element 30. The light-transmitting layer 26 is formed of a first insulating film 26a, a second insulating film 26b, and a third insulating film 26 c. The first insulating film 26a is disposed on the reflective layer 25 so as to straddle the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R. The second insulating film 26b is stacked on the first insulating film 26a, and is disposed across the sub-pixels 18G and 18R. The third insulating film 26c is stacked on the second insulating film 26b, and is disposed in the sub-pixel 18R.

That is, the light-transmitting layer 26 of the sub-pixel 18B is formed of the first insulating film 26a, the light-transmitting layer 26 of the sub-pixel 18G is formed of the first insulating film 26a and the second insulating film 26B, and the light-transmitting layer 26 of the sub-pixel 18R is formed of the first insulating film 26a, the second insulating film 26B, and the third insulating film 26 c. As a result, the optical distance between the reflective layer 25 and the counter electrode 33 increases in the order of the sub-pixel 18B, the sub-pixel 18G, and the sub-pixel 18R. The optical distance can be represented by the sum of the products of the refractive index and the film thickness of each layer present between the reflective layer 25 and the counter electrode 33.

[ optical resonance Structure ]

The light emitted from the light-emitting function layer 32 is repeatedly reflected between the reflective layer 25 and the counter electrode 33, and the intensity of light having a specific wavelength (resonance wavelength) corresponding to the optical distance between the reflective layer 25 and the counter electrode 33 is amplified and emitted as display light from the protective substrate 40 in the Z direction.

In this embodiment, the light-transmitting layer 26 has a function of adjusting the optical distance between the reflective layer 25 and the counter electrode 33. In the sub-pixel 18B, the film thickness of the light-transmitting layer 26 is set so that the resonance wavelength (peak wavelength at which the luminance is maximum) is, for example, 470 nm. In the sub-pixel 18G, the film thickness of the light-transmitting layer 26 is set so that the resonance wavelength is, for example, 540 nm. In the sub-pixel 18R, the film thickness of the light-transmitting layer 26 is set so that the resonance wavelength is, for example, 610 nm.

As a result thereof, blue light (B) with 470nm as the peak wavelength is caused to be emitted from the sub-pixel 18B, green light (G) with 540nm as the peak wavelength is caused to be emitted from the sub-pixel 18G, and red light (R) with 610nm as the peak wavelength is caused to be emitted from the sub-pixel 18R. In other words, the organic EL device 100 has an optical resonance structure that amplifies the intensity of light having a specific wavelength, and extracts a blue light component from the white light emitted from the light-emitting functional layer 32 in the sub-pixel 18B, extracts a green light component from the white light emitted from the light-emitting functional layer 32 in the sub-pixel 18G, and extracts a red light component from the white light emitted from the light-emitting functional layer 32 in the sub-pixel 18R.

In the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R, the color filter 36 is disposed on the sealing layer 34. The organic EL element 30B of the sub-pixel 18B is provided with a transparent layer 36T via a sealing layer 34. Therefore, the blue light (B) having a peak wavelength of 470nm is emitted from the protective substrate 40 with almost no reduction in luminance.

On the other hand, the colored layer 36G is disposed in the organic EL element 30G of the sub-pixel 18G via the sealing layer 34, and the colored layer 36R is disposed in the organic EL element 30R of the sub-pixel 18R via the sealing layer 34. Accordingly, green light (G) having a peak wavelength of 540nm is transmitted through the colored layer 36G to improve color purity, and red light (R) having a peak wavelength of 610nm is transmitted through the colored layer 36R to improve color purity. On the other hand, the green light (G) and the red light (R) transmit through the colored layer, and the luminance decreases.

As described above, the size of the opening 28KB in the sub-pixel 18B is smaller than the sizes of the openings 28KG and 28KR in the other sub-pixels 18G and 18R. That is, the light-emitting area of the sub-pixel 18B in design is smaller than the light-emitting areas of the other sub-pixels 18G and 18R in design. The luminance of light emitted from the sub-pixel 18 depends on the light emitting area. Therefore, even if the light-emitting area of the sub-pixel 18B is reduced with respect to the light-emitting areas of the sub-pixels 18G and 18R having colored layers, the colored layers are not disposed in the sub-pixel 18B and the transparent layer 36T is disposed, so that the reduction in luminance can be suppressed. In other words, even if the amount of current in the organic EL element 30B is made smaller than that in the other

organic EL elements

30G and 30R, the same luminance can be achieved. Further, by reducing the amount of current in the organic EL element 30B, the power consumption in the organic EL device 100 can be reduced.

[ contact portion of pixel electrode ]

In the present embodiment, a semiconductor substrate such as silicon is used as the substrate body 11 of the element substrate 10. The switching transistor 21 and the driving transistor 23 constituting the pixel circuit 20 are MOS transistors. Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the substrate body 11 is provided with a recessed portion 10W and an ion implantation portion 10D, the recessed portion 10W is formed by implanting ions into the semiconductor substrate, and the ion implantation portion 10D is an active layer formed by implanting ions of a different species from the recessed portion 10W into the recessed portion 10W. The recess portion 10W functions as a channel of the

transistors

21 and 23 in the pixel circuit 20. The ion implantation unit 10D functions as a part of the source/drain and the wiring of the

transistors

21 and 23 in the pixel circuit 20. Fig. 5 shows an ion implantation portion 10D functioning as a drain of the driving transistor 23 and a recess portion 10W.

An insulating film 10a is formed to cover the substrate main body 11 on which the ion implantation portion 10D and the recess portion 10W are formed. The insulating film 10a functions as a gate insulating film of the

transistors

21 and 23 in the pixel circuit 20.

On the substrate body 11, 3

interlayer insulating films

10e, 10f, and 10g are sequentially stacked between the insulating film 10a and the reflective layer 25. The scanning lines 12, the data lines 13, the power supply lines 14, or the storage capacitors 22 are provided in the plurality of wiring layers provided with the interlayer insulating

films

10e, 10f, and 10g.

In the contact portion that electrically connects the driving transistor 23 and the pixel electrode 31 of the organic EL element 30, a relay layer is provided below the pixel electrode 31. The relay layer is formed by patterning the reflective layer 25 into an island shape. Specifically, the relay layer 25B is provided below the pixel electrode 31B of the sub-pixel 18B, the relay layer 25G is provided below the pixel electrode 31G of the sub-pixel 18G, and the relay layer 25R is provided below the pixel electrode 31R of the sub-pixel 18R.

The pixel electrode 31B is formed so as to cover the inside of a contact hole extending through the first insulating film 26a to the intermediate layer 25B, and is electrically connected to the intermediate layer 25B. The relay layer 25B is electrically connected to the driving transistor 23 through a conductive member buried in a contact hole penetrating the

interlayer insulating films

10e, 10f, and 10g and the insulating film 10a to the drain (the ion implantation portion 10D) of the driving transistor 23.

The pixel electrode 31G is formed so as to cover the inside of a contact hole extending through the first insulating film 26a and the second insulating film 26b to the intermediate layer 25G, and is electrically connected to the intermediate layer 25G. The pixel electrode 31R is formed so as to cover the inside of a contact hole extending through the first insulating film 26a, the second insulating film 26b, and the third insulating film 26c to the intermediate layer 25R, and is electrically connected to the intermediate layer 25R.

Each of the

intermediate layers

25G and 25R is also electrically connected to the driving transistor 23 through a conductive member embedded in a contact hole extending through the interlayer insulating

films

The contact portion 31CB of the pixel electrode 31B, the contact portion 31CG of the pixel electrode 31G, and the contact portion 31CR of the pixel electrode 31R formed in this manner have irregularities at the portion of the light-transmitting layer 26 where the contact hole is formed. The insulating film 28 is formed so as to cover the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR. That is, the insulating film 28 and the light-emitting functional layer 32 are present between the contacts 31CB, 31CG, 31CR and the counter electrode 33. Holes are hardly injected into the light-emitting functional layer 32 from the portions of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, 31CR including the contacts 31CB, 31CG, 31CR covered with the insulating film 28, and light emission is hardly caused in the portions where the contacts 31CB, 31CG, 31CR are provided.

Next, a structure of the sub-pixel 18 for efficiently extracting display light from the protective substrate 40 side in the organic EL device 100 will be described with reference to fig. 6 to 8.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the organic EL device taken along line H-H' of fig. 1, and fig. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views showing the structure of the element substrate at the boundary between adjacent sub-pixels. Specifically, fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the structure of the element substrate 10 at the boundary between the sub-pixel 18R and the sub-pixel 18B, and fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the structure of the element substrate 10 at the boundary between the sub-pixel 18B and the sub-pixel 18G.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the organic EL device 100, and illustrates the organic EL element 30, the sealing layer 34, and the color filter 36 among the components of the element substrate 10, while omitting the other components of the element substrate 10. In fig. 7 and 8, the element substrate 10 is shown enlarged, and the filler 42 and the protective substrate 40 are not shown.

As shown in fig. 6, most of the light L1 emitted from the organic EL element 30 is emitted from the protective substrate 40 to the atmosphere 71 side as light L2 (refracted light) due to the difference in refractive index between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71. Similarly, a part of the light L1 emitted from the organic EL element 30 is reflected by the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 due to the difference in refractive index between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71, and is directed to the element substrate 10 side as light L3 (reflected light).

When the angle formed by the light L1 and the Z direction is θ 1, the angle formed by the light L2 and the Z direction is θ 2, the refractive index of the protective substrate 40 is n1, and the refractive index of the atmosphere 71 is n2, the following formula (1) is satisfied according to snell's law.

n1sinθ1＝n2sinθ2…(1)

According to the formula (1), an angle θ 1 formed by the light L1 and the Z direction is expressed by the formula (2) shown below.

θ1＝sin-1((n2sinθ2)/n1)…(2)

The condition that the angle θ 2 between the light L2 and the Z direction is greater than 90 degrees corresponds to a condition that the light L1 is not emitted to the atmosphere 71 side, that is, a condition that the light L1 is totally reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71. That is, the angle θ 1 when the angle θ 2 is 90 degrees in the formula (2) is the critical angle α at which the total reflection of the light L1 occurs at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71.

When the refractive index n1 (n 1 ≈ 1.4 to 1.5) of the protective substrate 40, the refractive index n2 (n 2 ≈ 1.0) of the atmosphere 71, and the angle θ 2 (90 degrees) when total reflection occurs are substituted into the formula (2), the critical angle α at which total reflection of the light L1 occurs at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 can be obtained. The critical angle α in this embodiment is about 45 degrees.

When the angle θ 1 formed by the light L1 and the Z direction is the critical angle α (about 45 degrees), the light L1 is totally reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71, and is directed to the element substrate 10 side as light L3 (reflected light).

That is, when the angle θ 1 is smaller than the critical angle α, most of the light L1 emitted from the organic EL element 30 is emitted from the protective substrate 40 to the atmosphere 71 as light L2, and the light L3 reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 and directed to the element substrate 10 is reduced. That is, light emission from the organic EL element 30 can be efficiently extracted.

On the other hand, in the case where the angle θ 1 is equal to or larger than the critical angle α, the light L1 emitted by the organic EL element 30 is totally reflected at the interface of the protection substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71, and is directed toward the element substrate 10 side. That is, the intensity of the light L3 becomes strong and the light L1 cannot be efficiently extracted.

Further, the angle θ 1 between the light L1 and the Z direction is the same as the angle between the light L3 and the Z direction. For example, when the angle θ 1 is the critical angle α (45 degrees), the light L3 having an angle with the Z direction of the critical angle α (45 degrees) is directed toward the device substrate 10, and when the angle θ 1 is 70 degrees, the light L3 having an angle with the Z direction of 70 degrees is directed toward the device substrate 10.

When the light L3 reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 enters the end portion of the opening of the insulating film 28, it may be reflected by the end portion of the opening of the insulating film 28 and directed to the Z-direction side, thereby adversely affecting the display.

Specifically, since the luminance of the light L3 when the angle θ 1 is equal to or greater than the critical angle α is significantly higher than the luminance of the light L3 when the angle θ 1 is smaller than the critical angle α, the light L3 caused by total reflection enters the end of the opening of the insulating film 28, which has a large adverse effect on the display.

In the sub-pixel 18G and the sub-pixel 18R, the end portions of the openings 28KG and 28KR of the insulating film 28 overlap the

colored layers

36G and 36R (see fig. 3). The light L3 reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 passes through the

colored layers

36G and 36R, and the luminance of the light is reduced and enters the end portions of the openings 28KG and 28KR of the insulating film 28, so that the possibility of causing a bad influence on the display is reduced.

In the sub-pixel 18B without the colored layer, since the end of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28 overlaps the transparent layer 36T (see fig. 3), there is a possibility that the light L3 reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 enters the end of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28, as compared with the sub-pixel 18G and the sub-pixel 18R, and adversely affects the display. As described above, in the sub-pixel 18B, if the light L3 based on total reflection in the case where the angle θ 1 is equal to or larger than the critical angle α enters the end of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28, the adverse effect on display becomes large.

In the present embodiment, the film thicknesses of the green colored layer 36G and the red colored layer 36R are set so that the adverse effect of the light L3 in the sub-pixel 18B on the display is reduced. This will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 7 and 8.

In fig. 7, when the angle θ 1 with respect to the Z direction is the critical angle α (about 45 degrees), reference symbol L3A is given to light reflected at the interface between the protective substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71. When the angle θ 1 with the Z direction is larger than the critical angle α (about 45 degrees), the light reflected at the interface between the protection substrate 40 and the atmosphere 71 is given a reference symbol L3B.

That is, in fig. 7, the angle formed by the light L3A and the Z direction is about 45 degrees, and the angle formed by the light L3B and the Z direction is greater than about 45 degrees.

As shown in fig. 7, a transparent layer 36T is disposed at the boundary between the sub-pixel 18R and the sub-pixel 18B, and a coloring layer 36R is disposed on the sub-pixel 18R side so as to cover a part of the transparent layer 36T. If the light L3A and the light L3B pass through the colored layer 36R and enter the end 28a of the opening 28KB, the luminance of the light L3A and the light L3B is reduced, and the possibility that the light reflected at the end 28a of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28 adversely affects the display is reduced.

Since the angle formed by the light L3A and the Z direction is the critical angle α (about 45 degrees), if the film thickness (Z direction dimension) RD1 of the colored layer 36R is made larger than the distance (X direction dimension) RD2 between the end portion R1 of the colored layer 36R and the end portion 28a of the opening 28KB, the light L3A reliably passes through the colored layer 36R and enters the end portion 28a of the opening 28 KB. Under the condition that the film thickness (Z-direction dimension) RD1 of the colored layer 36R is larger than the above-mentioned interval RD2, the light L3B having an angle larger than the critical angle α (about 45 degrees) with respect to the Z-direction reliably passes through the colored layer 36R and enters the end 28a of the opening 28 KB.

Therefore, the light L3A and the light L3B are absorbed by the colored layer 36R, and the luminance of the light L3A and the light L3B incident on the end 28a of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28 is reduced, so that the possibility that the light reflected at the end 28a of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28 adversely affects the display is reduced.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the film thickness RD1 of the colored layer 36R is larger than the distance RD2 between the end R1 of the colored layer 36R and the end 28a of the opening 28 KB. That is, the film thickness RD1 of the colored layer 36R is preferably larger than the interval RD2.

Similarly, as shown in fig. 8, when the film thickness (Z-direction dimension) GD1 of the green colored layer 36G is made larger than the interval (X-direction dimension) GD2 between the end G1 of the colored layer 36G and the end 28a of the opening 28KB, the light L3A reliably passes through the colored layer 36G and enters the end 28a of the opening 28 KB. In addition, even when the film thickness (Z-direction dimension) GD1 of the colored layer 36G is larger than the above-described interval (X-direction dimension) GD2, the light L3B having an angle larger than the critical angle α (about 45 degrees) with respect to the Z-direction reliably passes through the colored layer 36G and enters the end portion 28a of the opening 28 KB.

Therefore, the light L3A and the light L3B are absorbed by the colored layer 36G, and the luminance of the light L3A and the light L3B incident on the end portion 28a of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28 is reduced, so that the possibility that the light reflected at the end portion 28a of the opening 28KB of the insulating film 28 adversely affects the display is reduced.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the film thickness GD1 of the colored layer 36G is larger than the interval GD2 between the end G1 of the colored layer 36G and the end 28a of the opening 28 KB. That is, the colored layer 36G preferably has a film thickness GD1 larger than the interval GD2.

< method for manufacturing organic EL device >

Next, a method for manufacturing the organic EL device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 16. Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to a first embodiment, and fig. 10 to 16 are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 10 to 16 are schematic cross-sectional views corresponding to fig. 4 showing the structure of the organic EL device.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL device 100 according to the present embodiment, the method of forming the organic EL element 30 on the substrate main body 11 uses the known technique as described above, and therefore, the steps after the step of forming the sealing layer 34 will be described.

As shown in fig. 9, the method of manufacturing the organic EL device 100 of the present embodiment includes a sealing layer forming step (step S1), a transparent layer forming step (step S2), a color layer forming step (step S3), a filler applying step (step S4), and a protective substrate attaching step (step S5). The process including the transparent layer forming process (step S2) and the colored layer forming process (step S3) is a color filter forming process.

In the sealing layer forming step of step S1, as shown in fig. 10, a sealing layer 34 is formed, and the sealing layer 34 covers the organic EL elements 30, that is, the

organic EL elements

30B, 30G, and 30R, formed across the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R, of the light-emitting functional layer 32 and the counter electrode 33. Specifically, first, silicon oxynitride is deposited by, for example, a plasma CVD method, thereby forming the first sealing layer 34a covering the organic EL element 30. Next, a solution containing an epoxy resin, an inorganic material (silicate), or the like is applied by, for example, a spin coating method, and dried (cured) to form the planarizing layer 34b. Then, for example, silicon oxynitride is deposited by a plasma CVD method to form the second sealing layer 34c. The respective film thicknesses of the first sealing layer 34a and the second sealing layer 34c formed of silicon oxynitride are, for example, 200nm to 400nm. The film thickness of the planarizing layer 34b is, for example, 1 μm to 3 μm.

The planarizing layer 34b is made of a material softer than the first sealing layer 34a, and can be formed thick without causing cracks. For example, if a foreign substance that causes a defect in the first sealing layer 34a is present, the foreign substance is embedded (coated) in the planarizing layer 34b, and does not adversely affect the second sealing layer 34c formed next. That is, even if a defect such as a pinhole or a crack occurs in the first sealing layer 34a and the defect is covered with the planarizing layer 34b, the defect such as a pinhole or a crack is not easily generated in the second sealing layer 34c.

Further, the first sealing layer 34a, the planarizing layer 34b, and the second sealing layer 34c are formed at a temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of each layer constituting the light-emitting function layer 32 so that the light-emitting function layer 32 is not thermally deteriorated. Then, the process proceeds to step S2.

In the transparent layer forming step of step S2, as shown in fig. 11, first, a transparent photosensitive resin layer 36P containing no coloring material and no coloring is formed. As a method for forming the photosensitive resin layer 36P, the following method is exemplified: for example, a solution in which a photosensitive acrylic resin having good light transmittance is dissolved in a solvent is applied by spin coating and dried to form the photosensitive resin layer 36P. The photosensitive acrylic resin in the present embodiment is a negative type. Then, the photosensitive resin layer 36P is exposed to light using a mask 80 having a light shielding portion 81. The light shielding portion 81 includes an opening 81a corresponding to the sub-pixel 18B and an opening 81B that opens at a position along the boundary between the sub-pixel 18G and the sub-pixel 18R. Light emitted from the light source passes through the

openings

81a and 81b to expose the photosensitive resin layer 36P. Since the exposed portion of the photosensitive resin layer 36P is insoluble, a transparent layer 36T is formed on the sealing layer 34 in the sub-pixel 18B as shown in fig. 12 by developing it with a dedicated developing solution, for example. In addition, a transparent layer 36K is formed at a position along the boundary between the sub-pixel 18G and the sub-pixel 18R. The cross-sectional shape of the developed

transparent layers

36K, 36T is a trapezoidal shape. The thickness of the photosensitive resin layer 36P on the sealing layer 34, that is, the thickness (height) of the

transparent layers

36K, 36T is smaller than the

colored layers

36G, 36R formed later, and is, for example, 0.8 μm to 1.2 μm. The

transparent layers

36K and 36T may be formed using a positive photosensitive acrylic resin. Then, the process proceeds to step S3.

In the colored layer forming step of step S3, the colored layer 36G is formed in the sub-pixel 18G, and the colored layer 36R is formed in the sub-pixel 18R. Specifically, as shown in fig. 13, first, the photosensitive resin layer 36PG containing a green color material is formed to cover the

transparent layers

36K and 36T on the sealing layer 34. The following methods are exemplified as a method for forming the photosensitive resin layer 36 PG: for example, a method of forming the photosensitive resin layer 36PG by applying a solution in which a photosensitive acrylic resin having a green color material is dissolved in a solvent by spin coating and drying the solution. As described above, the photosensitive acrylic resin in the present embodiment is a negative type. Then, the mask 90 having the light shielding portion 91 exposes the photosensitive resin layer 36PG. The light shielding portion 91 is provided with an opening 91a corresponding to the sub-pixel 18G. The light emitted from the light source passes through the opening 91a to expose the photosensitive resin layer 36PG. Since the exposed portion of the photosensitive resin layer 36PG is not dissolved, a colored layer 36G is formed on the sealing layer 34 in the sub-pixel 18G as shown in fig. 14 by developing with a dedicated developer, for example. Next, as shown in fig. 15, a colored layer 36R is formed by the same forming method as that of the colored layer 36G. The thicknesses of the

colored layers

36G and 36R are, for example, 1.0 μm to 2.0. Mu.m. Thus, the color filter 36 having the

colored layers

36G and 36R and the

transparent layers

36K and 36T arranged thereon is formed on the sealing layer 34. Then, the process proceeds to step S4 and step S5. The order of forming the colored layers is not limited to this, and the colored layer 36G may be formed after the colored layer 36R is formed.

In the filler application step of step S4, as shown in fig. 16, the filler 42 is applied so as to cover the color filter 36. Examples of the method for applying the filler 42 include: a dropping method, a spin method, a roll method, and the like, in which the uncured filler 42 is discharged from the nozzle. The filler 42 is, for example, a thermosetting epoxy resin or an acrylic resin having light transmittance after curing. In the protective substrate bonding step of step S5, the protective substrate 40 is pressed against the applied filler 42 and thermally cured, and the element substrate 10 and the protective substrate 40 are bonded to each other.

Thereby, the organic EL device 100 shown in fig. 4 can be formed. In the color filter forming step, heat treatment such as baking of the

transparent layers

36K and 36T and the

colored layers

36G and 36R after development and curing of the thermosetting filler 42 is performed at a temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of each layer of the light-emitting functional layer 32.

According to the organic EL device 100 and the method of manufacturing the same of the first embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

(1) On the sealing layer 34, the colored layer 36G (colored layer 36R) is formed on the sub-pixel 18G (sub-pixel 18R), and the transparent layer 36T is formed on the sub-pixel 18B without forming a colored layer. Therefore, even if the light-emitting area of the sub-pixel 18B is smaller than the other sub-pixels 18G, 18R, it is possible to provide or manufacture the organic EL device 100 which suppresses the reduction in luminance in the sub-pixel 18B and has desired luminance.

Further, by making the light-emitting area of the sub-pixel 18B smaller than that of the other sub-pixels 18G and 18R, the size of the pixel 19, which is a display unit per unit area, can be made smaller than in the case where the light-emitting areas are the same, and therefore, high definition of the pixel 19 can be achieved while securing a desired luminance.

(2) The

transparent layers

36K and 36T and the

colored layers

36G and 36R are formed by exposing and developing a photosensitive resin layer containing a photosensitive acrylic resin as a main component. After the

transparent layers

36K and 36T are formed, the

colored layers

36G and 36R are formed. The

transparent layers

36K and 36T containing no color material can be formed with higher positional accuracy and higher definition than the

colored layers

36G and 36R containing color materials. Therefore, since the

colored layers

36G and 36R are formed with reference to the

transparent layers

36K and 36T by forming the

transparent layers

36K and 36T first, the

colored layers

36G and 36R can be formed with high positional accuracy. In addition, the film thickness of the

colored layers

36G and 36R to be formed later can be easily ensured. That is, in the sub-pixels 18G and 18R, light emitted from the organic EL element 30 can be reliably transmitted through the

colored layers

36G and 36R and emitted. Therefore, the organic EL device 100 capable of performing color display with good appearance can be provided or manufactured.

(3) Since the protective substrate 40 is bonded to the element substrate 10 via the filler 42, the color filter 36 and the organic EL element 30 in the element substrate 10 can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, since the organic EL element 30 is protected by the protective substrate 40 as well as the sealing layer 34, the light emission characteristics and the light emission life of the organic EL element 30 are inhibited from being affected by the intrusion of oxygen and moisture from the outside. That is, the organic EL device 100 having stable light emission characteristics and a long light emission life can be provided or manufactured.

(second embodiment)

< organic EL device and method for manufacturing the same >

Next, an organic EL device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 17 to 19. Fig. 17 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of a pixel electrode and a color filter in an organic EL device according to a second embodiment, fig. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a sub-pixel along the line C-C 'of fig. 17, and fig. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a contact portion of the pixel electrode along the line D-D' of fig. 17. The organic EL device 200 according to the second embodiment is a device in which the configuration of the sub-pixel 18, particularly the color filter 36, is different from the organic EL device 100 according to the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the organic EL device 100, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 17, the organic EL device 200 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of sub-pixels 18 arranged in a matrix in the X direction and the Y direction. The sub-pixels 18 are provided with pixel electrodes 31 of the organic EL elements 30, respectively. Specifically, the pixel electrode 31B, the pixel electrode 31G, and the pixel electrode 31R are arranged in the X direction, the pixel electrode 31B of the organic EL element 30B is disposed in the sub-pixel 18B, the pixel electrode 31G of the organic EL element 30G is disposed in the sub-pixel 18G, and the pixel electrode 31R of the organic EL element 30R is disposed in the sub-pixel 18R. Each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R is rectangular in plan view, and the longitudinal direction thereof is arranged along the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the lengths of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R in the Y direction are the same. The length of the

pixel electrodes

31B and 31G in the X direction is shorter than the length of the pixel electrode 31R in the X direction.

A contact portion for electrically connecting the pixel electrode 31 and the driving transistor 23 is provided on one end side (upper end side in fig. 17) of each pixel electrode 31 in the Y direction. Specifically, the pixel electrode 31B is provided with a contact portion 31CB, the pixel electrode 31G is provided with a contact portion 31CG, and the pixel electrode 31R is provided with a contact portion 31CR.

The

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R are covered with the insulating film 28, and are insulated from each other. Specifically, the insulating film 28 is provided so as to cover the peripheral edge portion of each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R, the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R except for the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, and 31CR are formed with rectangular openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR in plan view. The shape of the openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR is not limited to a rectangle.

In the present embodiment, the length of the openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR in the Y direction is the same, but the length of the openings 28KB and 28KG in the X direction is shorter than the length of the opening 28KR in the X direction. That is, the light emitting area of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G is smaller than the light emitting area of the sub-pixel 18R.

The color filter 36 disposed in the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R includes a colored layer 36R of red (R) and a transparent layer 36T that is colorless and transparent. Specifically, the transparent layer 36T is disposed across the sub-pixels 18B and 18G adjacent to each other in the X direction, and the colored layer 36R is disposed with respect to the plurality of sub-pixels 18R arranged in the Y direction. That is, the transparent layer 36T is arranged in an island shape so as to overlap the pixel electrode 31B (opening 28 KB) and the pixel electrode 31G (opening 28 KG) adjacent to each other in the X direction. The transparent layer 36T is arranged in an island shape so as not to cover the contact portion 31CB and the contact portion 31 CG. The color coat layer 36R is arranged in a stripe shape extending in the Y direction so as to overlap the pixel electrodes 31R (openings 28 KR) arranged in the Y direction, and is arranged so as to cover the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR arranged in the X direction.

The transparent layer 36T is disposed so as to overlap the colored layer 36R at the boundary between the sub-pixel 18B and the sub-pixel 18G adjacent to the sub-pixel 18R in the X direction.

As shown in fig. 18, the organic EL device 200 includes an element substrate 210 and a protective substrate 40 which are laminated to face each other with a filler 42 interposed therebetween, and employs a top emission method in which light emitted from the sub-pixels 18 of the element substrate 210 is emitted from the protective substrate 40 side.

The reflective layer 25, the light-transmitting layer 26, the organic EL element 30, the sealing layer 34, and the color filter 36 are formed in this order on the substrate body 11 of the element substrate 210. The organic EL device 200 also has a light resonance structure in the sub-pixel 18, similarly to the organic EL device 100 of the first embodiment. That is, by making the film thickness of the light-transmitting layer 26 between the reflection layer 25 and the pixel electrode 31 different for the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, 18R, blue light (B) having a peak wavelength of 470nm is emitted from the sub-pixel 18B, green light (G) having a peak wavelength of 540nm is emitted from the sub-pixel 18G, and red light (R) having a peak wavelength of 610nm is emitted from the sub-pixel 18R.

On the sealing layer 34 covering the organic EL element 30, a transparent layer 36T is arranged across the adjacent sub-pixels 18B and 18G. The coloring layer 36R is disposed corresponding to the sub-pixel 18R.

As shown in fig. 19, the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR electrically connect the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, 31R to the driving transistor 23, and the coloring layer 36R is disposed on the sealing layer 34 covering the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR so as to bridge the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR.

The method of manufacturing the organic EL device 200 having the sub-pixel 18 provided with such a color filter 36 is basically the same as the method of manufacturing the organic EL device 100 of the first embodiment described above. In the transparent layer forming step of step S2, the transparent layer 36T is formed across the sub-pixel 18B and the sub-pixel 18G adjacent to each other in the X direction. In the colored layer forming step of step S3, the colored layer 36R is formed on the sub-pixel 18R, and the colored layer 36R is formed so as to cover the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR. The other steps are the same.

According to the organic EL device 200 and the method for manufacturing the same of the second embodiment, the following effects are obtained in addition to the effects (2) and (3) of the first embodiment.

(4) On the sealing layer 34, the colored layer 36R is formed on the sub-pixel 18R, and the transparent layer 36T is formed without forming a colored layer on the sub-pixels 18B and 18G. Therefore, even if the light-emitting area of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G is smaller than that of the sub-pixel 18R, it is possible to provide or manufacture the organic EL device 200 which suppresses the reduction in luminance in the sub-pixels 18B, 18G and has desired luminance.

(5) By disposing the transparent layer 36T in the sub-pixels 18B and 18G having a small light-emitting area, the luminance of the sub-pixels 18B and 18G can be ensured, and the amount of current flowing through the

organic EL elements

30B and 30G can be suppressed from being larger than that of the organic EL element 30R. Therefore, the organic EL device 200 having a lower power consumption than the organic EL device 100 according to the first embodiment can be provided or manufactured.

(6) As described in the first embodiment, although the contact portions 31CB, 31CG and 31CR are covered with the insulating film 28, irregularities are generated on the surface thereof. When light enters such contact portions 31CB, 31CG, and 31CR from the light-emitting region, scattering is likely to occur. Even if such scattered light occurs, in the second embodiment, since the colored layer 36R is disposed on the upper layer of the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR, the scattered light can be absorbed by the colored layer 36R. That is, the influence of scattered light at the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR is reduced, and color display with good appearance can be realized. In particular, it is preferable to dispose a red colored layer 36R (or a blue colored layer 36B) capable of absorbing green light with high visibility on the upper layer of the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR.

(third embodiment)

< organic EL device and method for manufacturing the same >

Next, an organic EL device according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 20 and 21. Fig. 20 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of pixel electrodes and color filters in the organic EL device according to the third embodiment, and fig. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a sub-pixel along the line F-F' in fig. 20. The organic EL device 300 according to the third embodiment differs from the organic EL device 100 according to the first embodiment in the arrangement of the sub-pixels 18 and the configuration of the color filter 36, and the same components as those of the organic EL device 100 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 20, the organic EL device 300 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of sub-pixels 18 arranged in a matrix along the X direction and the Y direction. The plurality of sub-pixels 18G are arranged in the Y direction, and the sub-pixels 18B and the sub-pixels 18G are alternately arranged in the Y direction in parallel with the sub-pixels 18G. In this state, the sub-pixel 18G is disposed adjacent to both sides of the sub-pixel 18B in the X direction, and similarly, the sub-pixel 18G is disposed adjacent to both sides of the sub-pixel 18R in the X direction. In the organic EL device 300, the display unit is constituted by 2 subpixels 18G arranged in the Y direction, and subpixels 18B and 18R parallel thereto, and performs color display. Such a configuration of the sub-pixels 18 is called a pentile system. By increasing the number of green sub-pixels 18G having high visibility more than the number of other sub-pixels 18B and 18R in a display unit, pseudo high-definition display can be performed.

The sub-pixels 18 are provided with pixel electrodes 31 of the organic EL elements 30, respectively. Specifically, the pixel electrode 31B of the organic EL element 30B is disposed in the sub-pixel 18B, the pixel electrode 31G of the organic EL element 30G is disposed in the sub-pixel 18G, and the pixel electrode 31R of the organic EL element 30R is disposed in the sub-pixel 18R, wherein the pixel electrode 31B, the pixel electrode 31G, and the pixel electrode 31R are arranged in the X direction. Each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R have the same length in the Y direction. The length of the pixel electrode 31G in the X direction is shorter than the length of the

pixel electrodes

31B and 31R in the X direction.

On one end side (upper end side in fig. 20) in the Y direction of each pixel electrode 31, a contact portion for electrically connecting the pixel electrode 31 and the driving transistor 23 is provided. Specifically, the pixel electrode 31B is provided with a contact portion 31CB, the pixel electrode 31G is provided with a contact portion 31CG, and the pixel electrode 31R is provided with a contact portion 31CR.

Each of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R, the

pixel electrodes

In the present embodiment, the length of the openings 28KB, 28KG, and 28KR in the Y direction is the same, but the length of the opening 28KG in the X direction is shorter than the length of the openings 28KB and 28KR in the X direction. The opening 28KB and the opening 28KR have the same length in the X direction. That is, the light-emitting area in the sub-pixel 18G is smaller than the light-emitting areas of the sub-pixels 18B, 18R. The sub-pixel 18B has the same light emitting area as the sub-pixel 18R.

The color filter 36 disposed in the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R includes a colored layer 36B of blue (B), a colored layer 36R of red (R), and a transparent layer 36T which is colorless and transparent. Specifically, the transparent layer 36T is disposed in the sub-pixel 18G arranged in the Y direction, the colored layer 36B is disposed in the sub-pixel 18B, and the colored layer 36R is disposed in the sub-pixel 18R. The transparent layer 36T is arranged in an island shape so as to overlap with the pixel electrode 31G (opening 28 KG). The transparent layer 36T is arranged in an island shape so as not to cover the contact portion 31 CG. The color layer 36B is disposed so as to overlap the pixel electrode 31B (opening 28 KB). The colored layer 36B is disposed in an island shape so as not to cover the contact portion 31 CB. The color coat layer 36R is disposed so as to overlap the pixel electrodes 31R (openings 28 KR) arranged in the Y direction, and is disposed so as to cover the contact portions 31CB, 31CG, 31CR arranged in the X direction.

In the boundary between the sub-pixel 18B and the sub-pixel 18R adjacent to the sub-pixel 18G in the X direction, one end of the transparent layer 36T overlaps the colored layer 36B and the other end of the transparent layer 36T overlaps the colored layer 36R.

As shown in fig. 21, the organic EL device 300 includes an element substrate 310 and a protective substrate 40 which are laminated to face each other with a filler 42 interposed therebetween, and employs a top emission method in which light emitted from the sub-pixels 18 of the element substrate 310 is emitted from the protective substrate 40 side.

The reflective layer 25, the light-transmitting layer 26, the organic EL element 30, the sealing layer 34, and the color filter 36 are formed in this order on the substrate body 11 of the element substrate 310. The organic EL device 300 also has an optical resonance structure introduced in the sub-pixel 18, as in the organic EL device 100 of the first embodiment. That is, by making the film thickness of the light-transmitting layer 26 between the reflective layer 25 and the pixel electrode 31 different for each of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R, blue light (B) having a peak wavelength of 470nm is emitted from the sub-pixel 18B, green light (G) having a peak wavelength of 540nm is emitted from the sub-pixel 18G, and red light (R) having a peak wavelength of 610nm is emitted from the sub-pixel 18R.

On the sealing layer 34 covering the organic EL element 30, a transparent layer 36T is disposed corresponding to the sub-pixel 18G. The colored layer 36B is disposed corresponding to the sub-pixel 18B, and the colored layer 36R is disposed corresponding to the sub-pixel 18R.

The method of manufacturing the organic EL device 300 having the sub-pixel 18 provided with such a color filter 36 uses basically the same method as the method of manufacturing the organic EL device 100 of the first embodiment described above. In the transparent layer forming step of step S2, the transparent layer 36T is formed on the sub-pixel 18G. In the colored layer forming step of step S3, a colored layer 36R is formed on the sub-pixel 18R, and the colored layer 36R is formed so as to cover the contact portions 31CB, 31CG and 31CR. Then, a colored layer 36B is formed for the sub-pixel 18B. The other procedures are the same.

According to the organic EL device 300 and the method of manufacturing the same of the third embodiment, the following effects are obtained in addition to the effects (2) and (3) of the first embodiment and the effect (6) of the second embodiment.

(7) On the sealing layer 34, a colored layer 36B is formed in the sub-pixel 18B, a colored layer 36R is formed in the sub-pixel 18R, and a transparent layer 36T is formed without forming a colored layer in the sub-pixel 18G. Therefore, even if the light-emitting area of the sub-pixel 18G is smaller than the light-emitting areas of the sub-pixels 18B and 18R, the luminance of the sub-pixel 18G can be suppressed from being lowered, and the pentile organic EL device 300 having a desired luminance can be provided or manufactured.

(8) By disposing the transparent layer 36T in the sub-pixel 18G having a small light-emitting area, the luminance in the sub-pixel 18G can be ensured, and the amount of current flowing through the organic EL element 30G can be suppressed as compared with the amount of current flowing through the

organic EL elements

30B and 30R. Therefore, compared to the case where the colored layer 36G is disposed in the sub-pixel 18G, the pentile organic EL device 300 can be provided or manufactured with reduced power consumption.

In the present invention, the sub-pixel 18 configuring the transparent layer 36T is selected based on at least one technical idea among (a) to (d) shown below.

(a) And a sub-pixel 18 having a color purity of extracted light components that is superior to that of other sub-pixels even if no colored layer is disposed.

(b) The sub-pixel 18 in which the organic EL element 30 (light-emitting functional layer 32) has a shorter emission lifetime than the other sub-pixels.

(c) The organic EL element 30 (light-emitting functional layer 32) has a smaller light-emitting area of the sub-pixel 18 than the other sub-pixels 18.

(d) The organic EL element 30 (light-emitting functional layer 32) has a sub-pixel 18 in which the current density is lower than that of the other sub-pixels. In other words, the organic EL element 30 (light-emitting functional layer 32) has a light-emitting area larger than that of the other sub-pixels 18 in the sub-pixel 18.

Even if the transparent layer 36T is not provided for the sub-pixels 18 of the above-described (a) to (d), at least 1 of the effects of the above-described embodiments can be achieved, and when the element substrate 10 and the protective substrate 40 are bonded via the filler 42 without providing the transparent layer 36T, there is a possibility that the element substrate 10 and the protective substrate 40 are bonded in a state in which the filler 42 cannot be sufficiently filled and bubbles are contained in the sub-pixels 18 without providing the transparent layer 36T. In the sub-pixel 18, if bubbles are contained in the light emitting region, the bubbles cause scattering of emitted light, thereby causing degradation of optical characteristics. In contrast, in the above embodiment, since the transparent layer 36T is disposed, an effect is obtained that the element substrate 10 and the protective substrate 40 can be prevented from being bonded to each other in a state where air bubbles are contained.

In the pixels of the display unit, as the number of sub-pixels 18 in which the transparent layer 36T is disposed instead of the colored layer increases, the load of exposure and development in the color filter forming process decreases. This reduces the chance of the sealing layer 34 covering the organic EL element 30 coming into contact with the developer, the cleaning liquid, or the like, and thus reduces the intrusion of oxygen, moisture, or the like into the organic EL element 30. Therefore, the organic EL device can achieve an effect of achieving favorable light emission characteristics and light emission lifetime.

(fourth embodiment)

< electronic device >

Next, an electronic apparatus including the organic EL device of the present embodiment will be described by taking a Head Mounted Display (HMD) as an example, with reference to fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of a head mounted display as an example of an electronic apparatus. As shown in fig. 22, the head-mounted display 1000 includes 2 display sections 1001 provided corresponding to the left and right eyes. The observer M can see characters, images, and the like displayed on the display unit 1001 by attaching the head mounted display 1000 to the head like glasses. For example, if parallax-considered images are displayed on the left and right display sections 1001, stereoscopic images can be enjoyed with pleasure.

The display unit 1001 is mounted with any one of the organic EL devices according to the first to third embodiments. In the above embodiment, any colored layer of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R that obtain different emission colors is omitted, and the transparent layer 36T is disposed. Therefore, by mounting the organic EL device according to the above-described embodiment on the display portion 1001, it is possible to provide the head mounted display 1000 in which the head mounted display 1000 realizes the desired luminance in the sub-pixels 18, has excellent display quality, and reduces power consumption.

The electronic apparatus on which any one of the organic EL devices according to the first to third embodiments described above is mounted is not limited to the head-mounted display 1000. For example, the present invention may be mounted on an electronic device having a display unit such as a head-up display (HUD), an electronic viewfinder for a digital camera (EVF), a portable information terminal, or a navigation device.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the scope not departing from the gist or idea of the invention readable from the entire specification, and an organic EL device and a method for manufacturing the organic EL device accompanying such modification, and an electronic apparatus to which the organic EL device is applied are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Various modifications other than the above embodiment are also conceivable. The following description will be given by taking a modified example.

(modification 1) the arrangement of the subpixels 18 in the pentile system is not limited to the arrangement of the subpixels 18 in the organic EL device 300 of the third embodiment. Fig. 23 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of sub-pixels in an organic EL device according to a modification. As shown in fig. 23, an organic EL device 400 according to a modification includes a plurality of sub-pixels 18 arranged in a matrix in the X direction and the Y direction. The matrix includes G, R rows in which the

subpixels

18R and 18G are alternately arranged in the X direction, and B, W rows in which the

subpixels

18B and 18W are alternately arranged in the X direction, and G, R rows and B, W rows are alternately arranged in the Y direction. The colored layer 36B is disposed in the sub-pixel 18B, the colored layer 36G is disposed in the sub-pixel 18G, and the colored layer 36R is disposed in the sub-pixel 18R. The transparent layer 36T is disposed in an island shape in the sub-pixel 18W. Blue light (B) is emitted from the sub-pixel 18B, green light (G) is emitted from the sub-pixel 18G, and red light (R) is emitted from the sub-pixel 18R. White light (W) is emitted from the sub-pixel 18W. In the organic EL device 400 of the modification, a display unit is constituted by 4 sub-pixels 18B, 18G, 18R, and 18W, and color display is performed. The sizes of the openings 28KB, 28KG, 28KR, 28KW of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, 31R, 31W in the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, 18R, 18W can be set as appropriate. White light emission is obtained from the light-emitting functional layer 32 of the

organic EL elements

30B, 30G, 30R, and 30W disposed in the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, 18R, and 18W. This makes it possible to provide a brighter display because the sub-pixel 18W for extracting white light emission is provided.

(modification 2) in the organic EL device according to the first to third embodiments, the optical resonance structure is not limited to the case where the film thickness of the light-transmitting layer 26 is different for each of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R. For example, the film thicknesses of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R may be different for the respective sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R, or the film thicknesses of the

pixel electrodes

31B, 31G, and 31R and the light-transmitting layer 26 may be adjusted to be different for the respective sub-pixels 18B, 18G, and 18R.

(modification 3) in the organic EL device according to the first embodiment to the third embodiment and the modifications, the optical resonance structure is not essential. For example, an organic EL element that can emit light in a desired wavelength range may be independently arranged for each of the sub-pixels 18B, 18G, 18R, and 18W.

(modification 4) the colored layer disposed on the upper layer of the contact portion of the pixel electrode 31 is not limited to the red colored layer 36R, and colored layers of other colors may be disposed, or colored layers of different colors may be disposed. In addition, the colored layers of different colors may be disposed on the upper layer of the contact portion in a state where they are partially overlapped with each other.

(modification 5) the sub-pixel 18 in which the transparent layer 36T is disposed may be at least 1 color among 3 colors (B, G, R). In the case where the sub-pixels 18 are configured with 4 colors or more, the colored layer may be disposed in the sub-pixel 18 of 1 color, and the transparent layer 36T may be disposed in the sub-pixel 18 of another color.

Description of reference numerals: an element substrate as a first substrate; a transistor for driving; a reflective layer; a light transmitting layer; 30. 30B, 30G, 30R, 30W.. Organic EL elements; 31. 31B, 31G, 31R, 31W.. Pixel electrodes; 31CB, 31CG, 31CR, 31CW. A light-emitting functional layer; a counter electrode; a sealing layer; a color filter; 36B, 36G, 36R. 36K, 36T. 36P, 36PG.. Photosensitive resin layer; a protective substrate as a second substrate; a filler; 100. 200, 300, 400.. Organic EL devices; a Head Mounted Display (HMD) as an electronic device.

Claims

1. An organic EL device is characterized by comprising:

a first substrate;

a first organic EL element and a second organic EL element provided on the first substrate;

a sealing layer covering the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element;

a color filter disposed on the sealing layer;

a filler disposed on the color filter; and

a light-transmitting second substrate disposed on the color filter via the filler,

the first organic EL element includes a first pixel electrode,

the second organic EL element includes a second pixel electrode,

the color filter includes a colored layer overlapping the first pixel electrode in a plan view, and a transparent layer not overlapping the first pixel electrode in a plan view and overlapping the second pixel electrode in a plan view, wherein the transparent layer is formed of a photosensitive resin layer containing no color material,

the colored layer is not provided between the second pixel electrode and the filler in a plan view,

the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element are adjacently arranged on the first substrate along one direction,

the transparent layer is disposed in contact with the coloring layer between the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element in the one direction,

the colored layer is provided so as to cover a part of the transparent layer between the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element in the one direction,

the film thickness of the colored layer is larger than the interval between the end part of the colored layer in the one direction and the end part of the insulating layer having an opening part on the second pixel electrode in the one direction,

the colored layer and the transparent layer are formed in contact with the filler.

2. The organic EL device according to claim 1,

the organic EL device includes a first pixel having the first organic EL element and a second pixel having the second organic EL element,

the second pixel emits blue light.

3. The organic EL device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

a first driving transistor provided on the first substrate and connected to the first organic EL element via a first contact portion; and

a second driving transistor connected to the second organic EL element via a second contact portion,

the colored layer is provided so as to overlap with the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a plan view.

4. The organic EL device according to claim 1 or 2,

the main component of the colored layer and the transparent layer is a light-transmitting photosensitive resin.

5. The organic EL device according to claim 4,

the photosensitive resin is a photosensitive acrylic resin.

6. The organic EL device according to claim 1 or 2,

each of the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element includes a counter electrode having both light transmittance and reflectance and a light-emitting functional layer,

the light-emitting functional layer is disposed between the first pixel electrode and the counter electrode, and between the second pixel electrode and the counter electrode,

the organic EL device includes a reflective layer provided between the substrate main body of the first substrate and the first pixel electrode and between the substrate main body of the first substrate and the second pixel electrode,

in the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element, optical distances from the reflective layer to the counter electrode are different.

7. The organic EL device according to claim 1 or 2,

the light emitting area of the second organic EL element is smaller than the light emitting area of the first organic EL element.

8. The organic EL device according to claim 1 or 2,

the light-emitting area of the second organic EL element is larger than the light-emitting area of the first organic EL element.

9. A method for manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising:

a step of forming a first organic EL element including a first pixel electrode and a second organic EL element including a second pixel electrode on a first substrate;

forming a sealing layer covering the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element;

a color filter forming step of forming a colored layer on the sealing layer at a position overlapping the first pixel electrode in a plan view, and forming a transparent layer on the sealing layer at a position not overlapping the first pixel electrode in a plan view and overlapping the second pixel electrode in a plan view, wherein the transparent layer is formed of a photosensitive resin layer containing no color material;

a step of applying a filler so as to cover the colored layer and the transparent layer; and

a step of bonding a light-transmitting second substrate to the first substrate via the filler,

in the color filter forming step, the transparent layer is formed, and then the colored layer is formed so as to cover a part of the transparent layer,

in the step of forming the filler, the filler is formed so as to be in contact with the colored layer and the transparent layer, and the colored layer has a film thickness larger than a distance between an end portion of the colored layer in one direction and an end portion of the insulating layer having an opening in the second pixel electrode in the one direction,

the colored layer is not provided between the second pixel electrode and the filler in a plan view.

10. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 9,

in the color filter forming step, the colored layer is formed by forming a photosensitive resin layer containing a coloring material and exposing and developing the photosensitive resin layer, and the transparent layer is formed by forming the photosensitive resin layer containing no coloring material and exposing and developing the photosensitive resin layer.

11. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 9 or 10, comprising:

forming a first driving transistor and a second driving transistor on the first substrate;

forming an interlayer insulating film covering the first driving transistor and the second driving transistor; and

forming a first contact portion for connecting the first driving transistor and the first organic EL element, and a second contact portion for connecting the second driving transistor and the second organic EL element on the interlayer insulating film,

in the color filter forming step, the colored layer is formed so as to overlap with the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a plan view.

12. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 9 or 10,

the method for manufacturing an organic EL device includes:

forming a reflective layer provided between the substrate main body of the first substrate and the first pixel electrode and between the substrate main body of the first substrate and the second pixel electrode; and

a step of forming a light-transmitting layer between the reflective layer and the first and second pixel electrodes,

in the first organic EL element and the second organic EL element, at least one of the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, and the light-transmitting layer is formed so as to have different optical distances from the reflective layer to the counter electrode by adjusting the film thickness.

13. An electronic device, characterized in that it comprises a display,

the organic EL device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.